DJ Munks.com

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Yash Raj films is back with Aditya Chopra producing NEW YORK with a highly commercial cast of John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh & Irrfan Khan. The movie is directed by Kabir Khan who’s last directorial venture Kabul Express was a flop with average reviews & a couple of decent songs on the OST. But with New York your expectations are bound to be higher as it is first of all a Yash Raj movie.. then has the hottest cast in Bollywood right now.. is based in the most glamorous city in the world.. plus it has Pritam doing the music.. All in all it has commercial written all over it !!

But on the other side the agenda of the movie gets you wondering if New York is a commercial music hit maker.. If you don’t know what the movie is about.. have a look at the wallpaper above..

Cant spot it..?? Look closer…

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Yup.. so you spot the ghost of twin towers there & so you know the movie is about 9/11. Not really about the attack but the after effects on the life’s of 3 Muslim students in New York. I still expect the OST to be bright & fun with a few elements of romance & a few serious songs.. Lets find out if it actually sums up to our commercial value expectations..

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Hai Junoon – Doesn’t sound like the start of a commercial album.. Well maybe it’s not then..!! KK renders his soulful Yaaron style vocals but the overall performance is average all thanks to simple & average music composition by Pritam. It has the typical soft college rock style which might go with the movie story but is overdone & cliche in the music market.. Lyrics by story writer Sandeep Srivastava are good & hold the other elements together making it a fun listen.. but with nothing special.. 5.5/10 .

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Track 2 – Mere Sang – Another non-commercial song..! The flow of this album is telling me it is more of a off-beat serious style of a album rather than a fun up-beat Yash Raj type.

Sunidhi Chauhan sings this song using her softer tone & sublime style. It’s not the best side of her & sounds monotonous. Composition style & arrangement by Pritam are just about the same as Track 1 & million’s of other such songs. It lacks innovation.. not just on the music side but also on the lyrics by Sandeep. It’s a decent one time listen but you may not like to come back to it.. 5/10 .

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Track 3 – Tune Jo Na Kaha – Finally something different with still on the down-beat lounge style… n I like that style..   Mohit Chauhan’s voice does something to a song.. it creates a vibe & gives it the depth of feelings. A romantic ballad with good lyrics that are perfect for a chilled out evening, sitting in the balcony in moon light.. Try it   The composition is simple with a good arrangement of backing vocals, light string instruments & a neat flute solo. Overall the track works for me.. 7/10.

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Track 4 – Aye Saaye Mere – The Persian style of this song is the work of Pankaj Awasthi. He has composed & sung this song as well. It’s the song with a message that would play in the background half way through the movie in a sad sequence. Very situational with an intense vibe. The lyrics are by Junaid Wasi & are pretty good with a traditional poetic feel to it. It’s a good song but lacks commercial appeal because of it’s theatrical situational feel. Listen to the lyrics carefully.. “Na Koi Kaala Na Koi Gora.. Ik Rang hi Sabhi ko rang de“. 6/10 .

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Track 5 – Hai Junoon (Remix) – Remixed by Julius Packiam. I have never heard his work before but this is a good start. He plays around well with KK’s vocal harmonies at the start & concentrates on his vocals throughout the mix which is a good relief. The beat is simple & makes the original more fun to listen to. The song now has this energy that it needs to go with the feel & lyrics of the song. 6.5/10 .

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Track 6 – Mere Sang (Remix) – Julius does a decent job trying to revive this dead track. I dint enjoy the original at all.. but this is bareable. There is not much scope in the original to play around with & the best creative element that Julius could come up was to add a subtle tabla sample throughout with ‘Hai Junoon‘ shouts which mix well. 5.5/10.

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Track 7 – Sam’s Theme – Sam is John Abraham in the movie. The theme makes his character sound like a serious & troubled guy.. Doesn’t go very well with John’s glamorous girl man looks & charm. Sound like he is experimenting.. lol. Good in a way.. as we’ll come to know if he can act.. !

Caralisa Monteiro’s classic vocal harmonies are truly amazing while our remix man Julius Packiam shows he’s not just the one with beats. He can surely compose & deliver good theme music to the standards of Yash Raj films which is a common feature in most of their movies. I like this classic music piece as it has some really good orchestra work. 7.5/10.

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Track 8 – New York Theme – Electric guitar’s with tribal drums give this instrumental the intense feel that describes the movie for us.. NO it’s not a fun commercial film.. but rather a serious flick with a message to convey. Sounds like something I have heard before. 6/10.

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FINAL WORD

Average – 5.5/10

The soundtrack for New York is nothing special. It does not even have the basic elements of a Yash Raj movie. No fun dance tunes, no big romantic numbers & no Bollywood style biggies either. An off beat non-commercial album totally opposite to our expectations.. and it is not even outstanding in it’s off beat category. Ignore this OST as am sure you can do without it in your collection.

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Producer Sandiip Kapur & Director Anand Kumar’s forthcoming comedy movie JUGAAD stars Hrishita Bhatt along with Manoj Bajpai. This very small budget flick promises all emotions with a comedy twist. Hence the music should be a good package with lot of variety. The hugely talented guitar player and pop star Sachin Gupta comes in after giving the music of Dil Kabaddi and shares music direction credits with the soulful singer Krishna on this movie OST. Lets get playing and what’s in store in this 8 track album.

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Tu Hai Rab Mera – This song is all about Krishna the singer and music director. Very good start to the album. Soulful, deep, pure, harmonic and truly melodic to some lovely Punjabi lyrics by Rohit Sharma. A good ambient lounge track and the lyrics are very touching. I would definitely play it at my next wedding DJ booking as a background track for when the bride & groom take their vow’s. 8/10 for this one easy.

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Track 2 – Kise Awaaz Doon – Flute, acoustic Guitar and Sitar come in very beautifully in this composition. Adeel sings this song well but not very well. I can think of better singers for this song. Nonetheless, this song works for a good listen with lyrics by Mohd. Nasir. 7/10 .

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Track 3 – Tension Lene Ka Nahin – Neeraj Shridhar sings this title song which is simple and nothing out of ordinary. The punch line is definite to become a hit with the masses but rest of it plain average. 5/10 .

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Track 4 – Tabahi Tabahi -Mika & Richa Sharma try to create a club number with a stylish bass line but come out with a basic cheap track. Standard vocals with basic lyrics. Not good enough. 4.5/10 .

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Track 5 – Mushkil Halato Se Darna Kaisa – Krishna is back with more music and vocals but this time to the lyrics of Saahiel. Motivational track with a difference and good use of instruments to create a simple but effective harmony. Krishna is dynamic in this track rather than chillout. Fun track with a lyrical message. 7/10 .

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Track 6 – Kise Awaaz Doon (Remix) -This remix by DJ Sumit is just average and can be skipped. Even Adeel’s voice cannot save it and you will hate it after listening to the original. 3/10 .

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Track 7 – Jai Sai Ram – Santoor, Flute, Manjira and Tabla form the main components of this Bhajan. Religious songs in a OST have not been seen for long. ‘Halla Bol’ was the last to have a Shabad Burbani. This Sai Bhajan has been beautifully put together by Krishna with his charming vocals. Sure would make the God’s happy & so should make you too. Love the Santoor solo in the middle. 8/10 .

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Track 8 – Tension Lene Ka Nahin (Rock Mix) - Forget the original.. In the Rock On era, this rock mix packs a punch!! Sachin Gupta’s band NI9NE performs this song with a twist. A much better version of Track 3 and sure makes the title catchier. This song is sure to be a hit with most Indian rock bands for a live performance. 7/10 .

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FINAL WORD

Fair – 6.5/10 .

Tracks 1, 7 and 8 make this album. It sure has variety and the effort is good for new composers Sachin Gupta and Krishna. Both make a mark but I prefer Krishna’s work and would rather recommend this album to chill-out lovers.

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I dint really know about the existence of this project until the soundtrack came out. I have been listening to it for a week now thinking if I should review it or not. The variety and uniqueness of this OST persuaded me to talk about it. Amit Trivedi must have spent a few hundred days on making this 18 track album.. I sure could write a few 100 words giving it the credit and appreciation it deserves.

A multi faceted Anurag Kashyap decides to do a modern take on the traditional DevDas. As laughable the concept sounds, it is an extremely great idea and I sure am curious of how he must have developed the script and shot it. The cast doesn’t look very exciting but on the music front we have the very talented Amit Trivedi. He impressed the world with his highly acclaimed work on Aamir in 2007. Although not a commercial success, but truly a genius piece of work !!

When I heard “Dev D” for the first time I guessed it sounds like Amit’s work and I was very excited to confirm the same from the CD cover. Amitabh Bhattacharya & Shellee do a great job on the variety of lyrics in this OST.

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REVIEW

First of all, if you are looking for some Pritam beats or Rehman orchestration or SEL fusion… then please turn away. This is not a commercial album. I will be shocked and traumatically excited if this album gets any commercial success cause that would mean a mass mature audience ! Listen to this album for the variety, fusion and a complete musical package to realise how global the Indian sound has become..

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Track 1 – Emosanal Attyachar (Brass Band Version) – I hated this track for the opening song when I first heard. I can’t stop singing it now !! It is the quiriest, most catchy, genuine, genius and innovative song in a long long time !! Sung in a typical traditional wedding brass band setup by a genuine band with the song sung by the true band singer and no established singer. The accent and pronunciations give it a typical street flavor. A super hit melody & must for all India wedding barat’s (Not the lyrics). This deserves an easy 9/10 .

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Track 2 – Duniya – Amit Trivedi brings back his Chakkar Ghumyo style from Amir to a faster funkier beat. Terrific lyrics and vocals of Amit but very close to the Amir feel. Not as original as track 1 but a great listen. 7.5/10 .

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Track 3 – Nayan Tarse – My favourite song on the CD. A 3min short, true easy listening brilliance. A rare fusion of traditional lyrics with deep vocals of Amit with an ambient music beat that goes rock on the chorus. Can you imagine & picture such a combo without listening to the track.. Do you imagine how vague that sounds !! A 9.5/10 to this brilliant piece of work.

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Track 4 – Pardesi – Another folk ambient chilax track fusion. This time with sitar’s, acoustic strings and claps. This singer named ‘Tochi’ makes a mark with his soulful voice. I so want to find all his work now. A nice soothing bass beat pattern. I don’t like the “That’s how we do it” on the track. But you have to listen to it – 8/10 .

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Track 5 – Saali Khushi – If you are down and feeling low this is the song which is going to wrap up your story for you. Song about missing good times in Amit’s voice yet again. A slow rendition to good lyrics. 7.5/10 .

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Track 6 – Paayaliya – 5 Tracks down and you can never relate these songs to the Devdas concept. This song brings the true traditional flavor of the concept in Shruti Pathak’s voice. A light song in Rehman’s compositional style but am sure Amit has done a better job at it. 7/10 .

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Track 7 – Mahi Mennu – How can a variety music album be compete without the punjabi element to it. Labh Janjua singing to good fusion of Dhol with a strong bass line is always good. A light average song. Can be easily missed as not very catchy. 6/10 .

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Track 8 – Aankh Micholi – A dint like this track. Nor the music or the composition or the lyrics or the vocals or the mixing of the track. Below average. Give it a miss. 4/10 .

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Track 9 – Yahi Meri Zindagi - A refreshing song with a light happy feel to it about being content of everything around. Aditi Singh Sharma gives it a global pop flavour. A fair track. 5.5/10 .

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Track 10 – Dhol Yaara Dhol – This Rajasthani number enriches the soundtrack. The texture of instruments and vocals is very soothing. Shilpa Rao renders this romantic song beautifully. Perfect song on a long romantic drive or a special dinner date. Do try to understand the lyrics.. that’s when you will relish this track. 7/10 to this one.

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Track 11 – Ek Hulchul Si – JOI gives some really good vocals here to a rock song. This rock does not categorise under the Rock On!! style but more of a Kings of Leon meet The Script sound. A very lively and catchy tune. Notice the classical tunes they play on electric guitars at the first solo. Recommended! 8.5/10 .

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Track 12 – Hikknaal – Labh Janjua back with a better Punjabi number. It’s got tumbi’s and authentic Dhol. Amit still has a long way to go when it comes to producing Bhangra stuff. Not for UK Bhangra lovers. 7/10 .

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Track 13 – Dil Mein Jaagi - Anusha Mani writes and sings this song only to a piano. It’s simply beautiful and very theatrical. It reminds you of the great music in Parineeta. Really good song. 7.5/10 .

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Track 14 – Emotional Attyachar (Rock Version) – If you are thinking this is going to be anything like the brass band version, you are in for a BIGGGGG Surprise !!! New lyrics (except for the punch line) a total hard rock musical and some really powerful vocals by Bony Chakravarthy. Think Parikrama or Metallica and you know what I am talking about… and imagine that with the chorus lyrics of Track 1.. Haha.. This is brilliant !! 8.5/10 atleast.

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Track 15 – Ranjhana – A 2 minute beautiful rendition of vocals by Shilpa Rao & Kshitij. It’s sad and you can feel the pain of the character. Very well done with just strings orchestra. 7.5/10 .

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Track 16 – Mahi Mennu (Sad Version) – Labh Janjua finally makes an impression with his vocals here as there is no poor quality Punjabi music by Amit to dissolve his vocals. Deep and resounding. 7.5/10 .

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Track 17 – Dev-Chanda Theme 1 – Theme music for the movie.. and very attractive. It’s sweet & charming. Its double bass all through with Pa Pa para & Ooooo ‘s all through. Amit shows he can keep it simple & yet beautifully smooth. a nice 2 minute piece for doing a little Ball dance in your living room with your sweetheart. 7.5/10 .

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Track 18 – Dev-Chanda Theme 2 - Another instrumental with whistles and violins. The melody is captivating. 7.5/10 .

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FINAL WORD

Very Good – 8/10 .

A brilliant variety album at the start of the year from a music director to watch out for.. Amit Trivedi proves his brilliance yet again after Amir. Forget commercial music if you have an ear for the niche then this is what you should shop for. Buy this CD and keep it at the top of your CD rack because you can listen to it in all possible moods.

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